Barge construction and freight hauling system

ABSTRACT

A freight hauling vessel ( 10 ) has a deck ( 12 ) with sets of railroad tracks ( 14 ) for rail cars ( 64 ), enabling rail cars to &gt;be rolled onto and off of the deck. Upright rows of stanchions ( 18 ) support standardized freight containers ( 63 ) spanning between the rows and over the rail cars.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the general field of freight hauling,and particularly to vessels adapted to transport roll-on, roll-off cargosuch as rail cars.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

One known freight hauling system uses a barge having a flat deck andstandard railroad tracks extending lengthwise of the deck. Rail cars areloaded onto and off of the barge at the origin and destination docks byramps, usually connected to the stern. Depending on the number of railcars to be carried, other wheeled or non-wheeled cargo can be placed onthe deck.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention uses a freight-hauling vessel having a deckadapted for wheeled cargo to be rolled on and rolled off the deck. Morespecifically, in a preferred embodiment, the deck of a barge haslongitudinally extending railroad tracks for side-by-side rows of railcars. The tracks can extend essentially the full length of thefreight-carrying deck of the barge.

In accordance with the present invention, the barge is provided with a“rack” system for supporting standard freight containers above the railcars. The rack system includes at least two longitudinally extendingrows of stanchions straddling at least one, preferably two or three,sets of tracks with the space between the stanchion rows being open andunobstructed at the top. The upper ends of the stanchions carryfoundation blocks spaced apart transversely and longitudinally of thevessel at the standard distances between fittings (usually cornerfittings) of known freight containers. Stacking cones or twist locks areused to connect freight containers to the stanchions, and to connectupper tiers of freight containers stacked on lower tiers.

In a preferred embodiment, the rack system includes a row of stanchionsalong each outboard side of the vessel, and two inboard rows ofstanchions toward the central portion of the vessel. The inboardstanchions are connected by cross-beams. A center grating walkway issupported on the cross-beams. The four rows divide the vessel into threeside-by-side freight-hauling areas or zones. These zones include twooutboard zones that are open and unobstructed at the top and an inboard“tunnel” zone having the central grating walkway at the top. Standardfreight containers can be loaded so as to bridge across the outboardfreight-hauling zones, with the lengths of the containers extendingtransversely of the vessel across multiple sets of tracks for rail cars.After placement of the containers, rolling stock, preferably rail cars,can be loaded underneath the containers in the outer zones and under thecentral grating in the center zone.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and additional aspects and many of the attendantadvantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as thesame become better understood by reference to the following detaileddescription, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic top perspective of a barge construction inaccordance with the present invention, with some detail of theconstruction deleted, FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic top plan thereof, andFIG. 3 is a diagrammatic side elevation thereof.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary top perspective of a bargeconstruction in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a further enlarged, fragmentary end elevation of a centralpart of a barge construction in accordance with the present invention,showing additional detail, FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of thecentral part shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a fragmentary top plan thereof,FIG. 8 is an enlarged, diagrammatic, fragmentary section along line 8-8of FIG. 5, and FIG. 9 is a further enlarged, diagrammatic, fragmentarytop perspective of such central part, showing additional detail.

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic top perspective of a barge construction inaccordance with the present invention illustrating loading of freightonto a barge, and FIG. 11 is an enlarged, diagrammatic, fragmentary topperspective illustrating additional detail in the freight-loadingprocess.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention provides a freight-hauling vessel having a deckadapted for wheeled cargo to be rolled on and rolled off the deck, and apermanent rack system incorporated in the vessel for carryingnon-wheeled freight above the wheeled cargo. In the preferred embodimentthe wheeled cargo includes rail cars and the non-wheeled freightincludes standard freight containers supported by the rack system abovethe rail cars.

With reference to FIGS. 1-4, barge 10 has a freight-carrying deck 12with longitudinally sets of railroad tracks 14 that extend essentiallythe full length of the deck. As described in more detail below withreference to FIG. 10, rail cars can be loaded onto the deck from thestern 16 by an end ramp from a loading dock. The end ramp may have oneor more sets of tracks, and the barge may be shifted transversely toprovide access to its many sets of tracks.

In a representative construction, the barge may be approximately 420feet (128 meters) long by 100 feet (30.5 meters) wide, equipped with 8sets of tracks to provide approximately 3,200 feet (975 meters) of trackon the deck. The maximum number of rail cars in a load will vary basedon car length. For example, rail cars can be about 40 feet (12.2 meters)to 90 feet (27.4 meters) long. In known rail car barges, the number ofcars accommodated also depends on the extent to which deck space is usedor reserved for other cargo. The barge has a sturdy understructure ofsteel frame construction to support the sizable load carried by thedeck. Preferably, all materials and workmanship conform to standards ofthe American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).

In accordance with the present invention, a permanent rack structure isincorporated in the barge to enable more cargo, and different types, tobe hauled. Still referring to FIGS. 1-4, the rack system of the presentinvention includes a plurality of longitudinally extending, transverselyspaced rows of stanchions 18. In the preferred embodiment, four rows ofnearly identical stanchions are permanently affixed to and supported bythe deck understructure which is reinforced to safely carry theconsiderable weight of the rack structure and the cargo it will support.One row of stanchions extends along one outboard side 20 of the barge,and another row extends along the other outboard side 22 of the barge.Two inboard rows of stanchions are provided, equidistant from the bargecenterline. The stanchions of each of the four rows are alignedtransversely of the barge with stanchions of each of the other rows. Forexample, in the illustrated embodiment, each row includes 23 stanchionsspaced substantially uniformly lengthwise of the barge. Since theaft-most stanchions are aligned transversely of the barge, all otherstanchions of each row are aligned with corresponding stanchions of theother rows. In the illustrated embodiment, the length of the rackstructure is slightly less than one-half the length of the entire barge,with the rack structure being offset aftward from the center. The aftend of the rack structure is approximately aligned with the leading endof the barge stern rake 24.

Each row of stanchions 18 is of steel beam and girder construction, withthe bottom end of each stanchion welded to the barge understructure andany necessary reinforcement. For installation of the outboard stanchionrows, the barge bulwarks 26 are cut away, and bulwark plates 28reinstalled between adjacent stanchions, except in the areas where theplates would interfere with standard deck fittings, vents, and so on.Limber holes or passages are provided as necessary. It is important thatthe spacing of the upper ends of the stanchions be precise. For thispurpose, the upper end of each forward stanchion is connected to thelower end of the next aftward stanchion by a diagonal brace 30. The topof the aft-most stanchion, and every second stanchion forward therefrom,is connected to an adjacent stanchion by a longitudinally extending topbeam 32.

Essentially the same construction is used for the inboard rows ofstanchions. Diagonal braces 30 and longitudinal top beams 32 areprovided at corresponding locations. In addition, for the two inboardrows, the upper portion of each stanchion is connected to thecorresponding stanchion of the other inboard row by a transverse beam34, and these beams support a center walkway of steel gratings 36,described below in more detail with reference to FIG. 9. The gratingsare permanent, such that the two inboard rows of stanchions form acovered “tunnel” center zone which is not completely open at the top.

With reference to FIG. 2, the spacing from each outboard row ofstanchions to the adjacent inboard row is the same at both sides of thevessel and, in the preferred embodiment, sufficient to accommodate threesets of railroad tracks therebetween. The inboard rows of stanchions arecloser together, sufficient to accommodate two rows of rail cars in thecenter tunnel zone.

Access to the center grating walkway is provided at each corner of thetunnel zone, as shown in FIGS. 5-7 (these features are not shown inFIGS. 1-4). FIGS. 5-7 show the aft end, but the construction at theforward end is the same. An access ladder 40 with safety cage 42 isprovided on each corner stanchion 18, with a cantilever end walkway 44in the form of a steel grating supported from the end crossbeam 34 (thewalkway 44 is also seen in the sectional view of FIG. 8). As also seenin FIG. 5, the bottom portions of the stanchions 18 can be supported byangle flanges 46 if necessary to spread the load more evenly to the deckunderstructure 47.

Additional details of the center walkway gratings 36 are best seen inFIG. 9. The transverse beams 34 are of I cross-section with bottomflanges 48. T-shaped support brackets 50 are welded to the uppersurfaces of the bottom flanges 48 and the center vertical webs 52 atequally spaced locations along each beam 34. An angle iron 54 extendslengthwise of the beam, approximately midway between its top and bottomflanges, and is welded to the brackets 50. Elongated steel gratings 36are fitted side-by-side with their opposite end portions on theshoulders formed by the angle irons 54. Preferably the T-brackets 50 arealigned with the joints between adjacent gratings, and all componentsare welded in position. As also seen in FIG. 9, a raised safety railing56 can be provided along the centerline of the tunnel section.

With reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 9, freight container foundation blocks58 are welded to the inboard and outboard stanchion structures atprecise locations corresponding to uniform distances between lifting andstacking fittings of standard freight containers. A representativefoundation is a model “TF-11” MacGregor Conver foundation available fromPacific Marine and Industrial of Novato, Calif. For example, stackingand lifting fittings on standard 40 foot (12.2 meter) containers andfreight platforms (“flats”) are corner inserts having downward openingsockets at the bottom corners and upward opening sockets at the topcorners, spaced 40 feet (12.2 meters) apart lengthwise of the containerand 8 feet, 7 inches (2.6 meters) apart transversely of the container.Longer containers, such as 53 foot (16.2 meter) containers, havestacking and lifting fittings at the same uniform locations, althoughnot at the corners. The foundations 58 used in the present inventionhave upward opening sockets positioned to register with the sockets ofthe standard freight containers and freight platforms. Thus, thedistance between the foundation 58 mounted on an aft, outboard stanchionand the corresponding inboard foundation is 40 feet (12.2 meters), withsufficient room being provided in the inboard tunnel structure for anoverhang of a longer container. At the outboard side, a longer containerwill simply overhang the outboard side of the barge.

With reference to FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the present invention allowsgreat flexibility in the cargo to be transported by the barge, andconvenience in loading and unloading the cargo. In most cases, thecombination will include cargo in standard freight containers 63 or onfreight platforms of 40 feet (12.2 meters) or longer. The containers canbe loaded in the transversely extending orientation by a conventionalforklift 60 using the same end ramp 62 that normally is used for loadingrail cars 64. The forklift can travel lengthwise along one of theoutboard loading zones to the far end of the rack structure, afterraising the container to clear the highest parts of the rack structure,namely, the end walkways from the inboard corner ladders. The first suchcontainer can be placed at the forwardmost location. Preferably,semiautomatic twist locks are used for the outboard foundations suchthat the outboard corners of the container are automatically lashed byplacement over the foundations and transverse shifting. The inboardfoundations and twist locks 66 or cones are accessible to a workerstanding on the center gratings. Suitable outboard twist locks are model“AFC-1L” and suitable inboard twist locks are model “CV-20/DUAL/2” twistlocks, both available from Pacific Marine and Industrial of Novato,Calif.

Working from the forward end of an outboard loading zone, containers canbe placed across the zone and also can be stacked in tiers, using thesame latching mechanism, namely, semiautomatic twist locks on theoutboard ends and dual twist locks on the inboard ends. Standardizedfreight platforms (“flats”) can be used on the top tier. The particulartwist locks used may allow the containers to be loaded and lashedwithout other lashing apparatus, eliminating the need for catwalks orother manners of end access at the outboard side. In the rackconstruction having 23 stanchions in each row, 22 container locationsare provided at each side, as indicated diagrammatically in broken linesin FIGS. 2 and 3. As represented in FIG. 3, containers can be stacked ateach location. Only a single loading ramp is required, with no docksideor onboard lifting or hoisting apparatus such as container cranes.

When the desired containers have been mounted in one of the outboardzones, the rail cars for that zone can be loaded. Containers at theother outboard loading zone are positioned and lashed by the twist lockand stacking mechanism prior to loading rail cars in that zone.

Cargo too wide to fit between the outboard loading zones of the rackstructure can be carried on the forward or aft area of the deck. Tallcargo can be carried at the same areas, or in one of the outboardloading zones, either between containers on the rack system or in anoutboard zone that does not have any overhead containers. Tall cargoalso can be loaded by movement through an outboard zone prior to loadingof containers.

Occasionally difficulties may arise in mounting or, particularly,uncoupling or unlashing a container. The open construction of the rackstructure permits access to the underside of the lowest tier ofcontainers at both the outboard and inboard ends. As seen in FIG. 11,preferably the center walkway gratings 36 are spaced inward from thefoundation blocks 58 slightly, and the inboard blocks 58 are mounted onthe crossbeams 34 at locations spaced inward from the adjacentstanchions 18. Thus, there is open access to the inboard end portion ofthe bottom tier of containers as well as to the outboard end portionsfrom below. Since the gratings 36 are lowered relative to the topflanges of the crossbeams 34, there also is some room for a worker toaccess a twist lock or cone, for example, by lying on the grating andreaching under a container.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated anddescribed, it will be appreciated that various changes can be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1. A freight hauling vessel comprising: an understructure; an elongateddeck supported on the understructure and adapted for wheeled cargo to berolled on the deck at an origin location and rolled off the deck at adestination location; characterized by: a rack system having at leasttwo rows of support members having upper ends spaced vertically abovethe deck at a height higher than the wheeled cargo, each row extendinglengthwise of the deck, the rows being spaced apart transversely of thedeck with the space between the rows being open and unobstructed at thetop, and the support member rows being constructed and arrangedrelatively for supporting freight spanning between the rows with roomthereunder for wheeled cargo.
 2. A freight hauling vessel comprising: anunderstructure; an elongated deck supported on the understructure andadapted for wheeled cargo to be rolled onto the deck, lengthwisethereof, at an origin location and rolled off of the deck, lengthwisethereof, at a destination location; at least two rows of uprightstanchions, each row extending lengthwise of the deck, the rows beingspaced apart transversely of the deck with the space between the rowsbeing open and unobstructed at the top, the stanchions being constructedand arranged relatively for supporting freight spanning between therows, above the deck, with sufficient room thereunder for wheeled cargoto be rolled beneath the freight.
 3. The vessel defined in claim 2, inwhich the stanchions are permanently affixed to and supported by theunderstructure.
 4. The vessel defined in claim 2, in which the upperends of the stanchions support container foundation blocks spaced aparttransversely and longitudinally of the vessel at standard distancescorresponding to the distances between fittings of standardized freightcontainers.
 5. The vessel defined in claim 4, in which the foundationblocks of the different rows are positioned essentially 40 feet (12.2meters) apart, and foundation blocks of each row being spaced apart,essentially 8 feet, 7 inches (2.6 meters) to match the distances betweenfittings of standardized freight containers.
 6. The vessel defined inclaim 4, including twist locks or stacking cones received in thefoundation blocks, and an elongated standardized freight containerhaving its length extending transversely between the rows of stanchionsand having stacking fittings secured by the twist locks or stackingcones.
 7. The vessel defined in any preceding claim, including a firstoutboard row of stanchions along one outboard side of the vessel, asecond row of outboard stanchions along the other outboard side of thevessel, two inboard rows of stanchions spaced transversely apart towardthe center portion of the vessel, the inboard stanchions being connectedtogether by crossbeams, and the deck having at least one set of railroadtracks between each row of outboard stanchions and an adjacent inboardrow of stanchions, the spaces between the outboard rows of stanchionsand the adjacent inboard rows of stanchions being open and unobstructed.8. The vessel defined in claim 7, including at least one set of railroadtracks extending between the inboard rows of stanchions.
 9. The vesseldefined in claim 7, including rail cars supported on the railroad tracksbetween each outboard row of stanchions and an adjacent inboard row ofstanchions, and elongated standardized freight containers spanningbetween the outboard rows of stanchions and the inboard rows ofstanchions over the rail cars.
 10. The vessel defined in claim 7,including steel gratings supported on the crossbeams and forming awalkway between the two inboard rows of stanchions.
 11. The vesseldefined in claim 10, in which the steel gratings are spaced below topsurfaces of the crossbeams.
 12. The vessel defined in claim 7, includingfreight container foundation blocks mounted on or adjacent to each ofthe rows of stanchions, at locations corresponding to standard distancesbetween standard freight container fittings.
 13. The method of loadingfreight onto a vessel which comprises: loading a standardized freightcontainer onto a permanent rack structure projecting vertically from thedeck of the vessel, such rack structure including at least two rows ofsupport members spaced apart with the space between the rows open andunobstructed, such that opposite ends of the standardized container reston support members of the different rows and the container spans betweenthe different rows; and thereafter rolling wheeled cargo onto the deckbeneath the freight containers.
 14. The method defined in claim 13including loading the container onto the rack structure by a lift truckthat transports the container through the open air space between therows prior to lowering the container onto the support members.
 15. Themethod defined in claim 13, in which the deck has railroad tracksextending lengthwise between the rows and the wheeled cargo includesrail cars rolled onto the deck from a ramp and then lengthwise of thedeck between the rows and beneath the freight container.